Madison, WI

By Erin Allen

In the first upset of the 2016 International WFTDA Division 1 Playoffs Madison, hometown favorites Mad Rollin’ Dolls Dairyland Dolls of Madison, WI, USA (seed #10) eked out an exciting 143-139 win over the No Coast Derby Girls Mad Maxines Lincoln, NE, USA (seed #7).

Photo by Marko Niemelä

The game remained close throughout, with points jockeying back and forth and jams remaining on the low-scoring end. Dynamic rotating walls and forceful offense from both teams kept the Wisconsinites and the Nebraskans neck-and-neck during five lead changes and several full two-minute jams. But the Mad Rollin’ Dolls have a history of pulling through in the second period and they came out swinging the last 30 minutes of the game, taking lead nearly 60 percent of the time and opening up holes for their jammers with smart offensive plays.

Within the first 30 seconds of the game, Anna Maniac put No Coast in the lead with fast footwork during a power jam. The Mad Rollin’ Dolls spent the next six jams chipping away at that lead, and soon were tied 14-14 with about 23 minutes left in the period. A track cut call on Anna Maniac gave Madison the opportunity to pull ahead with a 14-0 jam by Ladie Who-ha. Not to be deterred, No Coast regained control midway through the first half with a 16-point jam by Sunshine. They held the Mad Rollin’ Dolls at bay for the remainder of the period and went into halftime with a 66-60 lead.

The Mad Rollin’ Dolls quickly chipped away at the narrow margin in the second half. Black Velvet picked up lead and three points, and Mouse came in after her with two points—bringing the score to just a one-point game, 66-65. Ladie Who-ha followed up with 14 points in the third jam of the period to deliver a lead change, 79-66.

Photo by Danforth Johnson

A forearm penalty on Madison jammer Black Velvet gave No Coast the momentum they needed to climb back. Slam put 12 points on the board with some smooth toe-stop moves on the inside line and the help of strategic offense from her blockers who would wait for Slam to hit the pack first before sending players to create a diversion and break up the Madison wall. Five more points by Anna Maniac in the next jam brought No Coast back to lead, 83-80.

No Coast maintained their advantage over the next 10 jams, even during an exciting 17-7 jam in their favor, during which there was no lead jammer. But Madison wasn’t throwing in the towel just yet—they kept No Coast scoreless over the next three jams and took back the lead with a 13-point jam by Mouse with six minutes left in the game. No Coast never quite recovered, despite a power jam and staying, for the most part, within one point of the Mad Rollin’ Dolls. With No Coast jammer Sunshine getting called for a back block in the last 44 seconds of the game, Mouse was able to grab three points and call of the jam just as the clock was winding down, thus solidifying Madison’s win over No Coast.

The Mad Rollin’ Dolls will take on Arch Rival Roller Derby (seed #2) at 8 p.m. Central Time. The No Coast Derby Girls play the loser of Game 5 on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. (CT).

Final Score

No Coast Derby Girls (#7) 139
Mad Rollin’ Dolls (#10) 143